Completing PhD research is a challenging task for the aspirants, but once you are in, several methods make the process devoid of hassles. A case study is one of the research methods that offer in-depth insights into a process or phenomenon and help researchers understand complex situations. The reason why case studies in research are significant is that they provide substantial context to explore variables in real-life situations.
With case study methodology, PhD researchers get the finest opportunity to explore complex situations in different contexts by using a wide range of collection methods and sources of data. A multitude of applications like programme evaluation and advancing theory make it the right tool for PhD research and driving a change in the methodology.
When to do case research in PhD?
A case study proves useful to PhD aspirants when they need to explore a subject or topic indepth. Here are situations when conducting a case study is useful:
Descriptive research
When you want to put things down in a descriptive manner about a complex process or phenomenon, a comprehensive research method may prove useful. For instance, a case study may describe the changes within a group of individuals living with a strange and rare disease.
Exploratory research
During PhD research, you might want to explore a new phenomenon or topic, and a case study helps create a deep connection with the subject. For instance, you might be studying a plant species and conducting a case study to dive deep into its characteristics and behaviour.
Building theories
With a case study, you can fine-tune the theory through a deep analysis of different cases. Through this, PhD researchers can easily spot the relationships and patterns that may contribute to refining the existing theories or developing new theories.
Explanatory research
Through explanatory research, you can go deeper to find out the reason behind any occurrence and study casual relationships. For instance, a case study design may explore in detail the reason behind the success and failure of an experiment in biotechnology.
Studying single cases
A single case is usually studied due to the nature of the phenomenon it describes. So, it is important theoretically as well as practically.
Comparative analysis
Case studies in research also help compare different contexts and cases. For instance, the study may compare two different ways of implementing the results of an experiment and gauging the effectiveness of one against the other.
So, conducting a case study provides deep and detailed insights into specific processes and situations in PhD research. However, the aspirants are often forced to carry out case studies in PhD research due to financial and time constraints.
How to write a case study?
Just like any academic research, you need to have a thorough preparation before writing the case study. Here are the most crucial components you must never miss when conducting the case study:
Choose the case you want to analyse
Once you complete penning the research question and the problem statement during PhD thesis writing and are about to begin the case study, you need to choose the case first. It is a crucial step that ensures that you have explored the research question appropriately. For instance, you might want to study the impact of medicine on brain stroke.
Preparing the theoretical framework
By preparing theoretical frameworks, you can consolidate the interpretation and analysis of data within the study. Furthermore, the theoretical formulation needs to clearly explain the foundational aspects, relationships, and variables that make a difference to the research question. The theoretical portion can be taken from the existing literature, or the aspirants can prepare their framework, and it needs to begin early in the research process. To make the case study more robust and meaningful, include a literature review related to sources and references associated with the topic.
Collection of data for the case study
Next in line during the case study in PhD research is data collection. When collecting data, you can resort to different methods like surveys, analysis of documents, interviews, and observations. However, the method chosen should be based on the research question. That way, the information you collect can be guaranteed to be of high quality.
Description of the case and analysisof the details
In the final step, you need to describe the case and analyse it in detail. The step involves the identification of themes and patterns that the data reflects and concludes. The way you document your findings is going to be based on the research type. For instance, the structuring of the data differs in an academic paper where you might come across segments like results, methods, and discussion. However, the data structuring differs from an independent literature review.
Once you complete the case study, check it for errors. If you need to revise and refine the work after identifying the mistakes, you need to do it well ahead of publication. Structuring the case study with well-supported documents is essential.
Benefits of case study
The case study is not a compulsory section for PhD aspirants, but these are the benefits you need to focus on to conduct the study.
- You can publish the case study relatively quickly.
- It offers the best insights when you are studying a process or a phenomenon in real-life situations.
- Case studies are of help during budget and time crunches.
- They help us investigate in detail some situations that would otherwise sound unrealistic.
Case studies are truly invaluable in PhD research as they provide a contextual and in-depth analysis of events, subjects, and organisations. They allow researchers to explore complex issues in a natural context and capture quantitative and qualitative data. If you are into PhD thesis writing and need assistance, get in touch with Decode DNA. We have the skills and expertise to pen the thesis contextually and may integrate case study findings to make the contextual evidence stronger.
FAQs
- What are the three most important elements of a case study?
The case study needs to have both qualitative and quantitative data, the best examples, and the right length.
- Are case studies qualitative or quantitative?
Case studies are primarily qualitative as theyinvolve in-depth studies, but sometimes they may also be quantitative based on the research tenets.